The second Social Responsibility Exhibition was opened Sunday at Riyadh Intercontinental, unveiling a pioneering social responsibility club initiative by the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry and featuring private companies that endorse social responsibility in the Kingdom.
Prince Faisal bin Ahmad, member of the Board of Social Responsibility, inaugurated the event on behalf of board Chairman Prince Faisal bin Salman.
The exhibition will continue for three days and feature the participation of around 40 companies, banks and civil society institutions.
In his opening speech, Prince Faisal thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Naif and the Kingdom's government for their generous support and sponsorship of the efforts of civil society institutions in the field.
A year ago, the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry along with the Board of Social Responsibility adopted the idea of holding a social responsibility exhibition, which serves as an introduction to this key area.
It will also motivate other companies to initiate CSR projects.
"We were overwhelmed with the success of the first exhibition which revealed to us extraordinary initiatives and innovative ideas, as well as a need to create an organized stimulating environment to foster social responsibility," said Prince Faisal.
"This led us to repeat this exhibition in a more comprehensive way, accompanying it with activities taking on board last year's recommendations. This is a practical manifestation of last year's ideas that include bridging the private and public sector in order to facilitate their cooperation in social responsibility. We started this collaboration this year with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities and the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment. We have also aimed to benefit from leading international experiences in CSR beginning with the German experience, known for its fusion between all sectors of society. Our priority was catering to essential needs locally, so we organized workshops about the methodology of executing CSR programs."
In a statement read out by Prince Faisal bin Ahmad, Prince Faisal bin Salman emphasized that CSR programs in the Saudi private sector are still nascent, and this requires continuous efforts starting with a clear vision, sincerity, nurturing capabilities, and implementing practical projects that help in development. He thanked Riyadh Gov. Prince Sattam, also honorary chairman of the Social Responsibility Council, for his support of the council as well as the exhibition.
Secretary-General of the Riyadh Social Responsibility Council Askar Al-Harithy explained the purpose of the Social Responsibility Club as a unifying force for private sector efforts in the field of CSR, adding it is one of the pioneering initiatives of the Social Responsibility Council.
He also noted the exhibition includes participants' wings as well as lectures and workshops by leading experts on CSR from inside and outside the Kingdom, with SCTA chief Prince Sultan bin Salman one of the key speakers and clarifying the link between tourism and CSR programs.
Fahad Al-Ghamdi of Ejazti.com will present a paper about the Ejazti.com initiative as a model of social responsibility projects. Al-Harithy also mentioned there will be a workshop on designing CSR programs and projects presented by Omar Halabi.
Abdulrahman Al-Jeraisy, chairman of Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also gave a speech commending the participation and enthusiasm of various companies and institutions as well as the keenness of relevant public sector institutions such as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities and the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment.
Batola is the company that organized this exhibition in cooperation with the Board of Social Responsibility, and Shaikha Al-Muzainy gave a speech on behalf of the company saying the exhibition aims to highlight the role of the private sector in sustainable development.
© Arab News 2012
